We’re here at the Mega-City Block-esque Novotel Hotel in Hammersmith, lately arrived and soaking up the setting of the 40th Anniversary festival of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic 2000 AD!

There’s been some build up mind: do check out our February 2017 Book Highlights which includes the celebratory THE GALAXY’S GREATEST, a creator selected collection of the greatest one-off short stories, and ex-Tharg David Bishop’s THRILL POWER OVERLOAD, the forty year history of 2000 AD. On a similar note, from not so long back, there’s also ‘golden era’ Tharg Steve MacManus’s autobiography THE MIGHTY ONE from September 2016 – details here (scroll about halfway down to The Fact Behind the Fiction section). Oh and the creator of 2000 AD itself, first Tharg and writer of numerous flagship characters Pat Mills has just released with frequent collaborator Kevin O’Neill his darkly comedic crime satire about a comic editor SERIAL KILLER – and we’ve got a preview with title info and more here!

Right, back to the #2000ADFest (twitter link) itself. Looking forward to some cracking panels later and catching up with various folk but will be sharing a few things as we go – scroll down for more…

Splundig vur Thrigg people!

Opening Shots…

Entrance guarded by a Genetic Infantryman (Rogue Trooper to the uninitiated) and a bloke with a lanyard. Strangely synchronised in their security sweeping… 😉

*****

Immediately drawn to this corner: the stall of the Dog House, makers of the unofficial but officially Zarjaz films of Judge Minty and now Strontium Dog! So looking forward to the screening of that later…

*
Dredd film props: freeze creep – don’t ruin your photo!

The main area: more artists and writers of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic than you can shake a Lawgiver or axe at!

Steve’s first checking in on their first experiences as readers of 2000 AD. Alec was a rather late starter but was blown away (as were we all) by Pat Mills and Simon Bisley’s SLAINE: THE HORNED GOD. For Tom it was through those random issues bought by family members while he was ill as a kid. Dani very much came straight in as a creator, developing a love and knowledge of the comic since then, while Eoin started with Prog 2 after there was such a buzz about the first Prog at school the week previous.

*

Of course (whatever the comic’s alien editor Tharg may or may not approve of) few people have been regular readers and not drifted away from the comic at some point. But what drew them back?

For Owen it was the ultraviolence, the art and the humour. He remembers Pat Mills being interviewed emphasising that kids are smart and that you can’t fool them. It reinforced to him that 2000 AD is a quality product with insightful thinking behind it.

For Alec in part it was that it got referenced in Spaced: that alone said to him that, yes, 2000 AD certainly was cool.

As to how to get into the comic as a creator, well they’ve all got their own quite unique stories. Eoin was an early starter but admits not giving his first outing on a John Wagner script the attention it deserved, having understandably if falsely built his self-image as a creator after getting a gig with Moebius. It’s been more recently that he’s finally got in properly as a regular contributor.

Alec notes seeing an interview with ex-editor Andy Diggle in which he says how everyone asks how to get into comics / 2000 AD – no one asks how to get better at what they do. Focusing on the latter is more likely to actually achieve the former. It’s something of having a zen-like mental attitude as Alec puts it. Both he and Eoin emphasise the importance of properly taking on feedback from rejections, and that they both ultimately got in from developing a whole campaign of submissions.

Dani had been working on her own comics and was essentially talent-spotted at a convention where she had a stall. Tom on the other hand submitted work to a competition at Thought Bubble, coming second two years running then, when the prize was actually being given a script to illustrate, coming first in its third year. He’s yet to work for one of the American publishers but feels he’ll be far better placed to work in the more expansive scheme of their strips having honed his craft in the more compressed approach of 2000 AD than the other way round. On a similar note Alec praises the scripting of Gordon Rennie and Rob Williams for being ‘so on point’ and ‘muscular writing’.

And right now? Tom’s got his first Dredd story coming up and something in a few weeks on ‘From the Drawing Boards’ on YouTube. Alec has a US one-shot of the Dredd movie version of Judge Anderson. Owen is working on the next series of The Alienist while Dani is working on her own comics with a Dirk Gently filler coming for IDW and something that can’t be mentioned for 2000 AD’s special issue for Free Comic Book Day.

In the biggest deal of its kind in 30 years, 2000 AD’s publisher, Rebellion, has acquired the archives of Fleetway and the IPC Youth Group archive. The deal features comics from Action to Whoopee and classic series such as Roy of the Rovers, Charley’s War, The Thirteenth Floor, Billy’s Boots, Star Rider, Golden Boy, Death Wish, and Johnny Red – and includes hundreds of never-before-reprinted titles. It’s wonderful to welcome 2000 AD’s former stable mates to Rebellion, where the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic has thrived over the last 16 years!

REBELLION ACQUIRES CLASSIC BRITISH COMICS ARCHIVE

Some of the most iconic British comic books from the 1970s and 1980s are to be reprinted after 2000 AD publishers Rebellion acquire the archives of Fleetway and the IPC Youth Group from Egmont.Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a look at what Snowbooks have published and have coming for you over the period January to December 2016! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication and updating this page as later titles are confirmed.

Jonathan Oliver was brought into Rebellion to help found the Abaddon Book imprint and also work on 2000 AD’s range of graphic novels. When Rebellion purchased Solaris from BL Publishing he became Editor-in-Chief of both, running them with editors David Moore and Jenni Hill (now of Orbit Books). Jonathan and David, along with Rob Power (Marketing / PR) were good enough to spare some time for a coffee at the London Book Fair so I could dig a little more into what they’re about and what’s in the pipeline…

In the interests of openness I should probably note that this is more of ‘An absence of Coffee with’ Anne Perry: it being the afternoon of the third day of the London Books Fair we’re both already highly caffeinated and we decide to coast on what we’ve already imbibed rather than risk any top-ups. Apologies if anyone feels cheated by this (or that that’s cheating) 😉

*
Anyway the London Book Fair is a lot of different things to a lot of different editors. For some it’s selling international rights and translations of their titles. Anne Perry is no less busy, though she’s more on the other side and on the lookout for acquisitions; but for her the LBF offers a rare opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the Atlantic. It makes all the difference being able to connect face-to-face with those people you know more by e-mail in this or any other industry, so I’m grateful she has a bit of time to talk. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a look at what 2000 AD have coming for you over the period January to June! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication. Note: Text from the publisher; publication dates accurate at time of writing but can change.

I first met Neil at last years London Book Fair, and was treated to an insight into the rather unique comic enterprise of TPub. It was no surprise to find they were exhibiting at LSCC 2016 and I’d arranged to pop by and learn more firsthand of where they were since then.

I manage to catch Neil in a lull. TPub have sold a whole bunch of Twisted Dark and – when more potential customers come near – it’s easy to see why. On the one hand there’s a small photo display of TPub fans you may have heard of. Who? Well a certain Samuel L Jackson if you’ve heard of him? A Mr Frank Miller? Simon Pegg anyone?

Since starting Carabas some Comic / Graphic Novel publishers have very much been on my radar, though with so much to do there’s not been time enough to find out more; London’s Diego Publishing were very much one of them so it was firmly inked in on the LSCC ‘To Do’ list to pop by their stand and find out more…

Here’s an edited look at the Graphic Novels Titan Comics have coming for you over the period January to June 2016! FYI we tend to leave tie-ins (TV / Film) titles to other sites and focus on original material on Carabas. We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication.

Here’s a look at the Graphic Novels Jonathan Cape have coming for you over the period January to June 2016! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication.

Note: Publication dates are accurate at time of writing but can change.

Here’s a look at what Angry Robot have coming for you over the period January to June 2016! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication. Note: Publication dates are liable to change and some jackets are still to come…

Here’s a look at what Jo Fletcher books have coming for you over the period January to June 2016! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication. Note: Publication dates are liable to change and some jackets are still to come…

Here’s a look at what Rebellion Publishing have coming for you over the period January to June 2016!

Due to a slightly smaller output from Abaddon Books we’ve combined their titles into a shared article with Solaris; all titles are Solaris unless otherwise indicated.

We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers including Rebellion together by month of publication.

Note: Publication dates are liable to change and some jackets are still to come…

Additional: Titles from Rebellion’s YA & children’s imprintRaven Stone can be found on their site. Rebellion also own the UK’s and the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic 2000AD, and you can discover the fantastic graphic novels / collections coming from Jan-Jun on our page for them here [to come]…

Here’s an (edited) look at what Harper Voyager have coming for you over the period July to December 2015! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication. Note: Publication dates are liable to change and some jackets are still to come…

Here’s an (edited) look at what SFF Tor Books and parent Pan Macmillan have coming for you over the period January to June 2016! We’ll be bringing you our particular recommends of all publishers together by month of publication. Note: Publication dates are liable to change and some jackets are still to come…